No comments about Bug New Zealand: The Backpackers Ultimate Guide (Bug).

3 comments about New Zealand by Bike: 14 Tours Geared for Discovery (By Bike).

1. In February '97 me, my bike, and this book covered 1300 miles of New Zealand. I used this book extensively to plan my route by mixing & matching the routes covered in the book. obtw, in New Zealand you don't need a map, you only have a couple of roads to choose from and this book covers just about everything you need. I highly recommend it and appreciate the effort Bruce put into the book.



2. Yes, I am a Kiwi [native New Zealander]and have found this book extremely valuable for planning a tour around both islands. I could find out all the information, but why reinvent the wheel?? It is all laid on here..including an insight into our customs and language.

   In brief..... you want to bike around NZ??? GET THIS BOOK!!




3. definitely a must for a n.z. bound cycling adventure. this book keeps it all simple and clear without what you don't need. i cycled 4100km in n.z. by mixing and matching routes from the book and found it very useful. the only down side is the not very convenient format and the lack of good route maps which is not a big deal altogether. good luck.

4 comments about Australia Wide: The Journey.

1. This is a beautiful book of a gifted photographer. Just like the "America Wide" this book offers much joy and peace in browsing through its pages. Thanks God for giving Ken such talent and skills.



2. Ken Duncan has managed to capture Australia beautifully. This is an an excellent buy for those who appreciate landscape photography.



3. I've been traveling through Australia on expedition (mostly in the Simpson Desert) and this book features awesome panoramic photography throughout the continent. Unfortunately, the references to "God" once again muddy its pages. You know what to do, though: get out that permanent marker, careful to keep the real beauty unscathed.



4. In this age of immense suburban sprawl and the drive by many to pollute this world as much as possible, we can be reminded of some of the beautiful places that still exist. This book is an example and what a terrific book it is. It's absolutely appalling one would take a permanent marker to this book to black out God's glorious name. He did, afterall, create this place that we all share as our home. God created it for us to enjoy and we ought to praise Him for that everyday... not black out His name.

3 comments about Adventuring in New Zealand: The Sierra Club Travel Guide to the Pearl of the Pacific (Adventuring in New Zealand).

1. Adventuring in New Zealand turns out to be a fairly pedestrian travel guide, with little to recommend it. While claiming to be an "adventuring guide", there's little more about hiking, parks, fishing, climbing, etc. than any of the standard guidebooks. Design, illustrations, and indexing are second rate. Give this one a miss.



2. My partner and I found "Adventuring..." the single most useful guide for our visit to New Zealand in January 2003. I disagree with the prior negative customer review and wonder if M. Goldstein actually used this book for travel to New Zealand or was merely an armchair traveler seeking amusement.

   It's true this isn't the kind of general guidebook so ably done by Lonely Planet and others. Jefferies doesn't refer the reader to specific restaurants or lodgings. What she does superbly is to introduce each region of the country with a detailed essay on its flora, fauna, terrain and history.

   Her knowledge of New Zealand's parklands runs much deeper than a conventional guidebook. While not neglecting famous tourist attractions, she takes you far off the beaten path to smaller forest preserves that harbor natural treasures. The book is not a detailed trail guide, but it points you to the access points for the back country with useful general descriptions of many hikes.

   Jefferies doesn't glamorize. Her descriptions of the deforestation and other environmental abuses that New Zealand has suffered might unsettle a conventional sightseer. For the environmental traveler with a serious interest in the natural history of the islands, it's just right.




3. I am inclined to agree with reviewer Jaffe and the Editorial Reviews. As a native Kiwi I know Auckland and Fiordland well having hiked extensively in both areas.
   The Auckland sections covers the well known outdoor main attractions of the region well: the islands of the Hauraki Gulf and the extensive network of regional parks, many of which are coastal and have fantastic views from the walks in them.
   Fiordland is the "honey pot" for accessible wilderness hiking in New Zealand. The description of the History, National Parks, short day walks and longer multi-day treks on well formed tracks is quite good. The maps are a bit scant, but you will buy better maps when you arrive in an area. And NZ does publish a wide selection of very good maps of all our park network. For a day-by-day detailed guide to the walks you are better to buy the Lonely Planet "Tramping in New Zealand" (even us locals use it). The book index is not so good, even the Routeburn "Great walk" (the finest 3 day walk in NZ in my opinion) is not listed but you can find it on page 457 with a 1/2 page description of it. After 5 years the book is not really dated. The one new development in NZ is private walking tracks and I can recommend the Banks Peninsula Track just out of Christchurch (page 388 of the book).
   So as a one volume "outdoor type" guide to NZ the book is worth buying and fills a niche not quite met by Rough Guide or Lonely Planet.
   So come and visit us.

No comments about Frommer's Adventure Guides: Australia and New Zealand.

No comments about New Zealands Top Trout Fishing Waters.

No comments about Cycling Guide New Zealand.

No comments about Insight Guide New Zealand (Insight Guides New Zealand).

1 comments about New Boots in New Zealand.

1. A wonderful read for any trekking enthusiast, someone interested in New Zealand or observers of "human nature." Ms. Orrell's charming command of language combined with her marvelous powers of observation and sense of adventure makes for a compelling, unique travelogue. Well worth the several week wait.

No comments about New Zealand Explorer:The Complete Residents' Guide (Living & Working for Expats).